Work Release FAQ
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
What is South Dakota work release?
Most counties in South Dakota have work release programs that allow defendants that have been sentenced to serve time in a county jail to serve that jail sentence while still going to work as normally scheduled. A defendant that is authorized to serve their jail time via a work release program will serve the ordered jail time in a county jail facility, but will be allowed to leave that facility to attend work. In order to qualify for work release, the sentencing court must authorize work release as an alternative to serving your time in the county jail. In addition, the facility administering the work release program may have additional requirements that must be satisfied in order utilize the program. All work release facilities have unique requirements, but work release programs typically cost between $25 and $45 per day, require the participant to work at least 20 hours per week with documentation of employment, and require the participants to be able to pass random alcohol and drug tests while utilizing the service.